Soft Robotics: A DIY Introduction to Squishy, Stretchy, and Flexible Robots

by Matthew Borgatti, Kari Love

Overview

Soft robotics is an emerging field that approaches robots in new ways, enabling them to operate in environments that are unstructured or unstable and to perform tasks that require delicacy and malleability. It's all about engineering with soft materials — silicone, cloth, balloons, flexible plastics — and combining them in different ways to come up with novel, approachable, and surprising solutions to interesting problems. This book introduces soft-robotics concepts to students, inventors, and makers with easy-to-understand explanations and hands-on DIY projects. The projects use a wide range of tools and techniques — including microcontrollers, 3D printing, laser cutting, mold making, casting, and heat sealing — to create intriguing soft robots and devices. It is tinkering at its finest! Code samples can be found at github.com/gianteye/makesoftrobots.

World's first DIY project book on soft robotics

Written by designers working on the forefront of the field

Approaches projects from simple introductions to more complex designs that build on what you know

Explore robotics using novel materials and techniques you can apply to challenges far outside of robotics

Soft robotics DIY projects that are relatively affordable, accessible and achievable.

Explore and build creations from the brand new emerging field of robotics

Provides context on the field of soft robotics alongside hands-on learning

Teaches skills frequently overlooked

Projects that are aesthetically appealing and novel

Foreword by Chris Atkeson, whose research directly inspired the design of Big Hero 6's Baymax

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781680450934
Publisher:	Make Community, LLC
Publication date:	12/27/2018
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	7.90(w) x 9.60(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	13 - 18 Years

About the Author

Matthew Borgatti is a maker, designer, and engineer. You may have seen monsters he's built, printed objects he's released, or watched videos he's made. Chances are there's one of his passports hanging around at your hackerspace.

He is the founder and lead scientist at Super-Releaser, an open source soft robotics company dedicated to building the technologies that bring the robots out of the lab and into everyday life. They develop products, manufacturing methods, measurement equipment, and applications for soft robots. He earned a BFA in industrial design at RISD in '07. Between then and now he's built a fleet of plotter robots for Bond, worked on 5 books, developed projects in house for Instructables, built kite powered racers for Makani, designed the CNC curriculum at TechShop, and animated a TV series for NOVA.

Kari Love is a soft roboticist at Super-Releaser and teaches concepts from soft goods engineering at NYU's ITP. She has also contracted on NASA-funded space suit research, built Broadway costumes, made and dressed puppets, spoke at the White House representing a hacker space, and been a Zero-G bridesmaid. All improbable, but factual.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii

Foreword Chris Atkeson ix

Preface: Why You Should Care about Soft Robotics xi

Chapter 1 Introduction to Soft Robotics 1

The Breadth of Soft Robotics 1

What Is It Good For? 3

Where Are the Soft Robots? 9

Challenges 12

Chapter 2 Soft Robotics for Space Exploration 15

Advantages of Soft Technologies for Space Exploration 16

Bioinspired Robotic Rovers 16

Working Alongside Astronauts 20

Space Suits 21

Expandable Habitats 24

Challenges and Setbacks 25

Chapter 3 Using a Water Snake Toy to Move Like an Amoeba 27

Project 1 Shooting Beads 29

Project 2 Rolling Mechanism 34

Chapter 4 Cable Pull Mechanisms-Ready, Willing, and Cable 37

Project 1 Simple Finger 39

Project 2 Tripod Actuator 44

Chapter 5 McKibben Muscles-Strong and Flexible 57

Project: McKibben Muscle 59

Chapter 6 3D Printing Best Practices 65

Printing Settings 66

Inspecting and Finishing 66

Chapter 7 The Remora-A Vacuum-Powered Jamming Gripper 77

Project: Building the Remora Gripper 79

Chapter 8 Mixing and Casting Silicone 91

Silicone 92

Chapter 9 Building Your Own Vacuum Chamber 99

Project: Building the Vacuum Chamber 101

Chapter 10 The Bibenda-A Simple Pneumatic Bending Actuator 119

Project: Building the Bibenda Actuator 121

Chapter 11 The Pneumatic Hand Pump-A Soft Robot Prototyping Tool 135

Project: Building a Pneumatic Hand Pump 137

Chapter 12 The Kousa-A Soft Hydraulic Pressure Sensor 141

Project: Building the Kousa 143

Chapter 13 The Kestrel-A Soft Pneumatic Gripper 157

Project: Building the Kestrel Gripper 159

Chapter 14 Soft Robotics Pneumatic Power Supply 171

Project: Building the Soft Robotics Power Supply 173

Index 191